Newsletter Lake Scugog Historical Society Spring/Summer 2017

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1 Newsletter Lake Scugog Historical Society Spring/Summer 2017 President, Paul Arculus Secretary, Bill Minors Treasurer, Daphne Naassana Editor, Wendy Hatherley President s Message Happy 150 th Birthday Canada! Again, thanks to Marilyn Pearce, we have had another successful Antique Show and Fair. Many thanks to Marilyn and all involved. As we look back over the past 150 years and the changes that have taken place in that time, we have difficulty imagining what changes will take place in the next 150 years. During the past quarter century alone, we have seen our world slowly being taken over by electronics: computers, the internet, cell phones, digital sound and smart TVs. Even the traditional mechanical aspects of the automobile have now been replaced by computer chips, and driverless cars are clearly on the horizon. Our great-grandparents had to wait many months to receive replies to letters sent to relatives in the old world. Now, information is instantaneous. We can even use computers and the internet to look at the people we are talking to many thousand miles away. What an amazing era of change we are living in! Our Historical Society membership is determined to keep alive memories and the memorabilia of the world we and our ancestors came from. In that regard, the LSHS is undertaking a reprint of two important books about our past. The first is Samuel Farmer s On the Shores of Scugog and the second is my book Steamboats on Scugog. These two books are documents giving detailed accounts of life here in Scugog, a century and more ago. Visual evidence of that time is rapidly disappearing and largely forgotten. Preserving these documents and making them readily available is an important part of our mandate as an Historical Society. We are hoping to have these books ready in time for our Canada Day celebrations in July. Details will be forthcoming in the local press. Guest Speakers Wednesday, April 12, 7:30 p.m. (following AGM at 6:30 p.m.) Gary Roncetti & Paul Arculus Vimy Ridge Wednesday, May 10, 7:30 p.m. Peter Hvidsten & Paul Arculus A History of Port Perry Watch the Newspapers, for A Cemetery Walk coming up soon, in Conjunction with Theatre 3x60 Please note that all open meetings will be held at St. John s Presbyterian Church (319 Queen Simcoe St.) Port Perry Please join us in the downstairs Meeting room, using the rear door, from the parking lot. I look forwarding to meeting you all at our meetings and at events celebrating our 150th birthday. Cheers Paul Arculus, LSHS President Pg. 1

2 Theatrical Cemetery Walks come to Scugog this summer with the support of Ontario Trillium Foundation Learn more at our public engagement session on March 26 th Theatre 3x60 is pleased to announce the launch of a new theatrical cemetery walk program, Pine Grove Plots: History To Die For, made possible with the support of an Ontario Trillium Foundation grant. Through Pine Grove Plots, Theatre 3x60 is supporting the Ontario Trillium Foundation s commitment to enrich people s lives through arts, culture and heritage and this initiative is helping the preservation and animation of cultural heritage. Working with Paul Arculus and the Lake Scugog Historical Society, Theatre 3x60 will deliver an educational and interactive program to create original theatrical vignettes, based on local heritage events and people. These vignettes will be performed onsite through the summer, in Prince Albert s Pine Grove Cemetery, as part of Theatre 3x60 s Port Perry Summer Theatre programming. Through the project, both participants and audiences will learn more of the area s heritage and the final vignettes will be captured in a documented script, for future use by the Historical Society. The public is encouraged to take part in the project in several ways, and are invited to an open information engagement session on Sunday March 26, 1:00 pm at the Heritage Centre and Archives. This session is the first of three phases and offers an opportunity to learn more about the project and how to become involved. The second phase focuses on the creation of the vignettes and will see participants taking part in playwriting workshops in April & May to develop the vignettes under the guidance of local playwright, Graeme Powell and Theatre 3x60 artistic director, Carey Nicholson. In the final, performance-based phase, starting in May, participants will rehearse and develop the scripts for public performances in July and August under the direction of Theatre 3x60 company member, Michael Serres. Theatre 3x60 encourages anyone interested in either theatre or local history to come and participate in any of the three phases. Previous theatre experience is not necessary. The open public information session takes place Sunday, March 26, 1:00 pm at the Heritage Centre and Archives, second floor of the Scugog arena, 1655 Reach Street, Port Perry. For further questions or more details please contact project coordinator, Amy Barron (416) , info@theatre3x60.ca or visit Pg. 2

3 On The Shores Of Scugog (by Samuel Farmer) As mentioned in the Presidents Message, the Lake Scugog Historical Society is reprinting two important documents of our community s history, one of which is Samuel Farmer s On the Shores Of Scugog. Samuel Farmer was the owner/publisher of the Port Perry Star from 1907 until his death on April 30, 1948, a period of 41 years! Young Samuel came from England in He was 15 years old at the time and settled initially on a farm in Wellington County. He worked there for 12 years and during that time he realized that he needed an education to achieve his personal goals. At the age of 23 he went back to school while working on a farm at Epsom. He began his newspaper career at the Uxbridge Journal, and then returned to Toronto where he worked at The Toronto Saturday Night, a popular weekly magazine in the first half of the 20 th century. While in Toronto he met and married Emily Grace Abernathy. The two were married in June 1901 and had four children: Marion, Anne, Archie and John. The Farmer family moved to Port Perry in 1907, after they had managed to arrange the financing for the purchase of the Port Perry Star. After Samuel Farmer s death, the children continued to own and operate the Star for another 15 years, before selling the paper to Per and Leila Hvidsten in September Samuel Farmer was devoted to this community and to its heritage. These feelings led him to write a detailed history of the community entitled On the Shores Of Scugog. This was first published in He revised the work and published a second edition in In 1969, the Lake Scugog Historical Society reprinted the 1934 work as the third edition. The work gives an excellent anecdotal history of the communities that surround Lake Scugog. Demand for this outstanding work continues today. As part of its commitment to local heritage, the Lake Scugog Historical Society has decided to publish a fourth edition as a contribution to this community s celebration of our nation s 150 th anniversary in Pg. 3

4 SCUGOG SHORES MUSEUM AND ARCHIVES MUSEUM NEWS General Information: Address for Heritage Centre: 1655 Reach Street, Port Perry, ON. L0L 1P2 Address for Village: Island Road, Port Perry, ON. L9L 1B4 Contact information: Shannon Kelly x Scugog 150 Exhibit - On display at the Scugog Shores Heritage Centre until May 19 In celebration of Canada s 150 th birthday, 150 artifacts from the Museum s collection have been selected each representing a year from The exhibit is on display Tuesday Sunday from 11 am 4 pm. Regular admission applies. Sunday Speaker Series; Ron Brown Rails Across Ontario; March 19, 1 pm Scugog Shores Heritage Centre & Archives Explore Ontario s rich railway heritage from stations and hotels to train rides, bridges, water towers and roundhouses. Ron is a geographer and travel author of more than twenty books. He is past chair of the Writers Union of Canada. Admission is $10/person. Sunday Speaker Series; George Sachs Wish You Were Here: The History of Postcards; April 23, 1 pm Scugog Shores Heritage Centre & Archives 100 years ago the postcard was the new way to communicate quickly to friends and family. For just 1 cent you could say hi to a friend in Winnipeg and for 2 cents send a card home to family in the UK. Join George Sachs, from the Toronto Postcard Club, for a discussion on the history of postcards and helpful tips for starting your own collection. Local postcards from the Museum s collection will be on display. Admission is $10/person. Opens for Season May 20 August 27, open daily 10 am - 4 pm Explore the 12 buildings of our historic pioneer village and the Ojibway Heritage Interpretive Lands. Guided tours are provided daily throughout the summer season. PA Day Museum program Hogwarts Holiday! Friday, June 2, 9 am 4:30 pm Take the day off from your school to come and spend it at ours. Come dressed as your favourite witch or wizard as we transform the Museum Village into Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Make your own wand, try a potions class, and meet our resident dragon. Ages Cost: $40/child. Extended care in the AM or PM available for an additional charge. Pre-registration required. 49 th annual Canoe the Nonquon Race; Saturday, June 3 Join us for the longest running canoe and kayak race in Ontario. Sanctioned by OMCKRA, this 20 km race winds along the beautiful Nonquon River before finishing in Lake Scugog. Recreational and competitive paddlers of all ages may compete in a variety of classes with medals awarded to the top three finishers in each. A prize of a $100 VISA gift card will be given to the participant who raises the most pledges. Registration is Friday, June 2 from 6 9 pm and Saturday, June 3 from 7-10 am. All participants must enter the water between 7 10 am on Saturday, June 3 to participate in the race. 15 th annual Dog Days of Scugog; Saturday, July 15 and Sunday, July 16, 9 am - 4 pm Don t miss Durham Region s largest dog festival! Dog Days celebrates that unique bond between dogs and their humans. Highlights include Woofjocks Canine All-Stars, Scugog Disc Dog, doggie fashion shows, contests, parade of breeds and more. Visit with breeders and specialists on all things canine, and explore the many vendors selling unique dog products. Pg. 4

5 MUSEUM NEWS (cont d) Driftwood Theatre presents the Bard s Bus Tour; Sunday, August 13, 7 pm The award winning Driftwood Theatre returns to the village to present their outdoor pay-what-you-can theatre event. Driftwood Theatre is Ontario s leading outdoor summer touring theatre company. The company strives to break down barriers to experiencing and participating in theatre art, by bringing theatre and engagement opportunities to audiences in Ontario who may not have access to professional performance. They have performed for over 100,000 people in venues across the province since Pioneer Day; Sunday, August 20, 11 am - 4 pm See the Museum Village come to life as it rings to the sounds of the blacksmith, woodwright, printing press, steam engines and many other heritage demonstrators. Taste traditional treats and observe local craftspeople at work. Regular admission applies. Murder Mystery Night; date tbc, starts at 7 pm All assistant detectives will meet a colourful cast of characters and have the opportunity to interview them and search for clues. Prizes, donated by local merchants, will be awarded to the detectives who catch the culprit. Tickets are $20 and must be purchased in advance. Tickets sell out every year so get yours early to avoid disappointment. There is a maximum of 100 tickets sold. This event is recommended for 16+. Please bring a flashlight and wear comfortable shoes. Children s Old-Fashioned Christmas; Sunday, December 10, 11 am 3 pm Step back in time and tour through the historic village, traditionally decorated for the holidays with evergreen boughs, bright ribbons and berries. Children will be engaged in activities throughout the village. Pg. 5

6 Recap of Our Upcoming Meetings Wednesday, April 12 th, at 7:30 p.m. local historian and expert on Vimy Ridge, Gary Roncetti, with join forces with our President Paul Arculus to discuss the events of Vimy Ridge, on this 100 th Anniversary year of the events at Vimy Ridge. Wednesday, May 10 th, at 7:30 p.m. Peter Hvidsten and Paul Arculus will present a talk on the History of Port Perry, as our Nation nears its 150 th birthday. Watch for the next Newsletter in late-september/early-october, 2017 Lake Scugog Historical Society c/o Books Galore & More Box 5172, 175 Perry Street, Ontario L9L 1B Board of Directors: Paul Arculus, President Ed Wilkinson, Vice President Bill Minors, Secretary Daphne Naassana, Treasurer Wendy Hatherley, Editor Enci Dhanoosingh Frank Young Amy Barron Kathy Minors Pg. 6